Nurse apologizes for trying to steal drugs
Published Wednesday November 25th, 2009
SAINT JOHN - Disgraced nurse and divorced 37-year-old mother of four Kimberly Susan Ferris broke down in tears as she apologized in provincial court for the hurt she caused others, including her family, by attempting to steal hydromorphone - a form of Dilaudid - to feed her drug addiction.
"I worked so hard to try to overcome it," the Rothesay woman, who is unemployed and enrolled in a methadone treatment program, told the court last week.
"I feel so horrible for the hurt."
Before sentencing Ferris to 30 days in jail for the attempted theft, 10 days concurrent for skipping a court date and placing her on a year's supervised probation with strict conditions, provincial court Judge Anne Jeffries reminded her of the gravity of her actions.
"You were in a position of trust. You violated that trust," the judge said.
"You have to realize this is not behaviour that is going to be accepted. It is behaviour that is not going to be tolerated. That message has to go out."
Originally charged with theft of the drug on March 30, 2008, Ferris was allowed to enter a guilty plea to the lesser charge of attempted theft during a September court appearance.
Duty counsel Brian Ferguson, who asked for a conditional sentence that would have allowed Ferris to remain with her children in the community, pointed out it was unusual to see a middle-class professional like Ferris come before the courts due to drug addictions.
"The problem with drug addiction is it can hit anybody at any time," he observed.
In a verbal update, probation officer Keri Goldsworthy said the doctor Ferris goes to in Fredericton for her methadone treatment and counselling reports her urinalysis tests are clean.
But Jeffries needed to be convinced of Ferris' sincerity, noting she had walked away from treatment at Ridgewood Addiction Services and, at times, seemed to be trying to fool people into believing she had control of her drug habit.
Ferris admitted that was the case early on.
"I told a lot of lies," she said. "(But) where I am now is long way from where I was."
She admitted drugs still have an attraction to her and, for that reason, she feels she is better off not being around narcotics.
"As long as I'm away form it, it's a lot easier," she said.
Conditions of her probation will include keeping the peace and being of good behaviour, abstaining from all non-prescribed drugs, counselling as directed, and continuing the methadone treatment program with clean urinalysis.
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Please watch your children, family members and friends carefully for signs of: mood swings, personality changes, lack of interest in eating, grades dropping, red eyes, running out of money, selling items or saying they lost them, stealing etc. as these are signs of drug use.
Addicts need support from friends and family without judgement!
Lie,Cheat and Steal to get a quick fix and use the kids to cheat the justice system and get leaner times. You do the crime you can do the full time .
"You were in a position of trust. You violated that trust," the judge said.
Try this instead prove to the community and people you can be a trusted nurse; who does not abuse their power over drugs to get a quick fix.
Conditions of her probation will include keeping the peace and being of good behaviour, abstaining from all non-prescribed drugs, counselling as directed, and continuing the methadone treatment program with clean urinalysis.
The kids should be removed to a safer home away from the drug addicted mother.
Life is a Journey for all of us, and Our Greater One has a way of working with us throught the Blessings of Brokenness.
It is so sad when such things happen to our families, and in this case, Kim. We need to know the background and facts, and what could be the underlying and root cause, and in this case, many are speaking without knowing what Kim has been through.
Please , do not judge others. We all have our struggles and trials. How we forget. Get the facts and MYOB. Everyone has enough troubles of their own to keep them busy for a lifetime.
Pray it doesn't happen to you, your children, grandchildren, your spouse. Believe me, it could.
Blessings to you all who speak.